Justice for all Brussels, BE

site Poelaertplein 1, 1000 Brussel, BE

client National Building Authority (Regie der Gebouwen), Gulden Vlieslaan 87, 1060 Sint-Gillis, BE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team T. Boogaerts, M. Czvek, T. Rigby, M. Steel Lebre, A. Sümeghy, M. Valerio

surface 260 000 m² gross

timing competition design 2010

status competition, selected for the exhibition

website www.internationalgeographic.be

BRUSSELS COURTHOUSE CONTEST | INTERNATIONAL OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT

Maybe time, and not space, should be seen as the primary context of architecture. Time involves change. For a building to be alive it must admit to change. As this is valid for all buildings, so it is for monuments. Listing a building is not a kind of taxidermy. Listing a building does not mean we want to keep it just the way it is; it means we want to keep the building alive. Therefore we have to allow it to change in a controlled way.

The Brussels Palace of Justice became a radiant, glorious and sublime absurdity. The cost of maintenance and its inefficiency are as exuberant as its spaces. It embodies everything about justice as it was and allows little margin for justice as it should be: modern, secure, efficient, human and with a low threshold. We are convinced that Brussels, being the capital of the continent, deserves - more than any other region in Belgium - to receive a new contemporary courthouse, very close to the existing one and to all the related juridical and political functions in the neighbourhood. Further in this magazine you will find a an article on how and where this could be organized.

We do want to save The Palace of Justice. But it became far too expensive to be maintained only with public money. Its lack of efficiency on the other hand will make it difficult to fully privatise it in a profitable way. Therefore we propose one of the biggest Private Public Partnerships ever. The building will be partly public and partly private. The panorama seen from the ring of the cupola will become a tourist attractor. Inside mainly functions that don’t need daylight conditions and that flourish on exuberance and the excess of space are welcomed: large museum halls, luxury hotels, a casino, a shopping mall, a wellness, an auditorium, etc. In the bibliography at the end of this magazine the caring reader will find many examples of the successful public-private transformation of monuments.

But, a lot more important than the new functions of the building itself, is the condition and the quality of the public space surrounding it. If we want to save this building, alter its perception but limit the changes within the building itself, we must change its position in society and totally rethink its public space. We propose to extend the Poelaert Square not only next to the building but also inside: public space is transformed into one continuous park, a flow of semi-mineral and semi-green spaces, closely related to new cafés, restaurants, shops and the other new functions. Parts of the building are to be kept, others to be changed or demolished. Of course we keep the central core, the salle des pas perdus and the dome; we keep the volumes along the perimeter and the beautiful spatial internal sequence of the stairs going down to the Marolles. But it will be inevitable to also un-list parts of the building to allow for a new life, for new conditions, for more public space with bigger green courtyards and inner gardens. In this way the building will transform into a high quality city fragment that never sleeps. We think it is a noble cause to activate the market and stimulate it to help the government to save our cultural heritage in an ambitious, contemporary, durable, culturally meaningful and metropolitan way. We also think this is what Europe stands for in relation to other large markets on the planet: a careful and very human balance between the free market and government intervention. This is the international mission statement that might emanate from this building that speaks to the whole world. Because the scale of the building is that big that its geography is not local, nor national, but international - which explains the title of this magazine.

We felt compelled to look for an answer for the future of the Palace of Justice, because monuments today force us to deal in the best possible way with inevitable accelerated change and ongoing globalization. Beyond the question of the monument itself we are challenged to reflect on who we are and what is our position concerning evolution and cultural fusion on a planetary scale. The content of this challenge is amplified by the basic questions about survival and sustainability. Maybe, in order to preserve all that we love, we will need the courage to change everything...

Gardarsholm Husavik, IS

site Nordaustuvegur, Húsavík, IS

client Nordic House, Cultural Center for the Nordic Countries, Sturlugata 5 - 101 Reykjavik, IS

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team T. Rigby, M. Valério

surface 1 500 m² gross

budget 2 000 000 euro excl. vat and fees

timing design 2010

status study completed

TRANSFORMATION OF A FISHERMEN'S BUILDING INTO A CENTER FOR REFORESTATION AND ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS | DIRECT COMMISSION

Located across the church, the Gardarsholm Centre is a link connecting the mountains and the shore, the city and the harbour, the land and the sea, the past and the future, Iceland and the entire world. It talks about fishing, forestation, the history of Iceland and, as Iceland’s story became a global story, the environment worldwide.

The centre is meant to accommodate a wide range of functions: an ecological awareness centre, a community centre, a cultural centre, an information centre, a visitors centre, a conference centre, a research and science centre, a boat restoration centre, a tree nursery, a shop, a cafeteria, an auditorium, a cinema, a ballroom, classrooms etc. Thanks to a flexible concept all these functions can be combined into one compact volume: a recycled 2 storey fishermens building transformed into a 3 storey building by wrapping a greenhouse around it. The harbour level and the intermediate level of the building become flexible floors that can host a wide range of programs, exhibition spaces, black boxes, etc.; the street level is an open space with a green landscape, continuous inside and outside, sloping down into the harbour. The green landscape continues along the waterfront, further uphill along the re-opened river and the Skudgardur Park until it reaches the border between the reforestation area and the deserted landscape. This way the Gardarsholm Centre becomes the gate to a green routing, inviting visitors to responsible tourism and to be part of the landscape.

Gardarsholm should make Husavik more apealing to locals, visitors and tourists. Culture, reforestation and ecological awareness, whale watching and fishermen activities should all become part of the city branding. The aim is to crate a the project with a positive impact on Husavik and its larger environment.

In the summer the Gardarsholm centre opens to the town and allows panoramic views on the sea, on the mountains and on the sky; in the winter it becomes “the lamp of Husavik” softly glowing under the northern lights. In any season it is a landmark, a node of social interaction and a stronghold of Husavik’s citybranding.

Royal Atheneum Koekelberg, BE

site Klein Berchemstraat 1 - Kasteellaan 65, 1080 Koekelberg, BE

client DBFM School Infrastructure nv, Fortis Real Estate nv, Sint-Lazaruslaan 4-10, 1210 Brussels, BE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team T. Boogaerts, M. Czvek, T. Rigby, M. Steel Lebre, A. Sümeghy

structural eng. Technum - Tractebel Engineering nv

technical eng. Technum - Tractebel Engineering nv

surface 12 266 m² gross

budget 17 495 350 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition design 2011

status design

EXTENSION AND TRANSFORMATION OF AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND SECONDARY SCHOOL AS PILOT PROJECT FOR "SCHOOLS OF TOMORROW" | OPEN CALL ORGANISED BY THE FLEMISH GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT, 1ST LAUREATE

The major challenge for this design question was to face the very large yet hidden potential of the location: a high quality urban environment, a site with a particular topography, and existing buildings with a very usable structural base. The concept focusses on the preservation of the upper parts of the buildings on one hand, combined with a severe and landscape-driven transformation of the relationship between the lower parts of the buildings and the outdoor ground levels surrounding it. Both schools take part in one consistent and flexible composition, and still remain clearly visible and separate entities.

The collective functions are gathered in a central core, following the site’s topography as an articulated landscape, which now holds the potential to transform the perception of the isolated modernist complex into a functional and poetic whole of varied spatial sequences. Confusion and desorientation make place for clearly readable spaces, in order to create a qualitative, flexible, sustainable and economically feasable environment for educational purposes for all ages.

More info on the school on the websites of GO! and Scholen van Morgen.

Manzo Ibi Village Ibi Village, D.R. Congo

site Ibi-Bateke, D.R. Congo

client Ibi-Village, Mbankana, Kinshasa, D.R.Congo

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team A. Sümeghy, M. Valério

structural eng. BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

technical eng. BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

surface 589 m² gross

timing design 2009 | realisation 2011

status under construction

URBAN AND ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH FOR AN ECOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT | DIRECT CONSULTANCY ASSIGNMENT BY THE CLIENT

IBI-village is a large ecological project of 22 000 hectares on the highland of Bateke (Democratic Republic of Congo, about 200 kms east of Kinshasa). The project has the following goals:

- the planting of forests which will provide both a long-term storage of CO2 and will allow to sell CO2 certificates

- the support and redevelopment of local small-scale economy based on crops like maniok, through the combination of farming and forestry

- stimulation of socio-cultural development by means of building villages, schools and medical centers

- reinforcement of the biodiversity, protection and expansion of the remaining fragments of rain-forest

- on the long run, development of an ecological forestry and the production of FSC-labelled wood.

The project is supported by the World Bank, the World Bio Carbon Fund, Umicore, Suez Tractebel and several non-governmental organisations.

BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS act as a consultant for all urban-design and architectural aspects that rise in the development of the site: local treatment and recuperation of waste water, sustainable energy, spatial development and planning. The design for the IBI-lodge, which is to be a guests house for trainees, international exchange and visitors, is composed of a sustainable high-quality architecture through the use of local cultural building traditions, very simple technology and limited resources.

At the early stage the client wanted to save a ruin and extend it so that’s why we applied our first proposal in a very rational, simple volume with an additional outstanding element the dining and meeting place. Later on we managed to pursue the client that it would be more efficient to demolish the existing ruin and build a new volume with more rooms but keep it as simple as possible. So our second stage of design could develop in a new rational, systematic way providing more rooms, more services within a nice, elegant stripe stretching in the landscape.

Citi Transferium Iasi, RO

site Splai Bahlui Dr., Iasi, RO

client City of Iasi, RO

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team T. Rigby, C. Truwant, M. Valério, M. Van Rossen

structural eng. Cezar Aanicai

technical eng. EC-ITS bvba

traffic expert EC-ITS bvba

landscape architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

surface 10 000 m² gross

budget 20 000 000 euro excl. vat and fees

timing study 2009 | realisation 2012

status study completed

FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A MULTIMODAL BUSSTATION | DIRECT COMMISSION

Research by design has shown that IASI - the second largest city in Romania - is structured by detached modernist ensembles surrounded by green space. GREEN CITY IASI. This insight has led to a hub not only designed as an ecological node of public transportation but also as a station that is actually located in a green park. The focus is on the quality of public space (both the interior and the exterior).

By combining a sloping distribution building (where the waiting areas and commercial functions are included) with a slightly sloping plateau on which all platforms and lanes are present, there is no conflict between pedestrians and traffic fluxes.

The cross-linking and networking of all functions (transportation infrastructure, parking, hotel, offices and service buildings) in a complex creates a synergy between the various functions that gives the whole a critical mass. The appearance and positioning of the buildings ensure that the project serves as a landmark and gateway to the city.

Malmar Mixed-Use Project Ghent, BE

site Nijverheidsstraat, 9040 Ghent, BE

client AG SOB City Company For Urban Development, Sint-Jacobsnieuwstraat 17, 9000 Ghent, BE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team M. Steel Lebre, A. Sümeghy, M. Valério

structural eng. Ney & Partners nv

technical eng. CEE Engineering bvba

sustainability BECO nv

surface 10 215 m² gross

budget 9 173 436 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition design 2009 | realisation 2013

status contract negotiations

MULTIFUNCTIONAL COMPLEX WITH PASSIVE HOUSING, CO-HOUSING, SPORTS HALL, OFFICES AND LOCAL CAFE ON THE MALMAR SITE IN BIJGAARDE, GHENT | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, 1ST PLACE

The remains of the old factory of Malmar form a unique environment with very distinctive spatial qualities. The industrial ruins and shed roofs, flooded with daylight, offer deep perspectives which end alternately on inner and perimeter walls of the brick factory. Although the program is far too large to be contained within the steel skeleton of the shed roofs, something invites us to save and start from the unique environment it creates.

This desire to preserve a piece of this “world”, together with the strength of the triangle that delimits the site provide the base for a coherent space. The triangular figure is thus kept and strengthened as the envelope within which a specific and qualitative urban space can develop.

Administrative Center Aarschot, BE

site Ten Drossaerde 1, 3200 Aarschot, BE

client City of Aarschot, Ten Drossaerde 1, 3200 Aarschot, BE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team M. Czvek, T. Rigby, M. Steel Lebre, P. Stessens, C. Truwant, M. Valério, M. Van Rossen

structural eng. Ney & Partners nv

technical eng. Technum - Tractebel Engineering nv

landscaping BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

surface 6 200 m² gross

budget 5 000 000 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition design 2010

status competition, budget cancelled due to economical and financial crisis

EXTENSION AND TRANSFORMATION OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CENTRE OF AARSCHOT | OPEN CALL OF THE FLEMISH GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT, 1ST LAUREATE

In each edition of the magazine published by the city of Aarschot, the second page is always filled with a seasonal photograph of the city skyline. This gives a hint about the ambition level and scale on which the city council aims to communicate: the citizens are given a broad view on the current state of their city.

Our approach translates this philosophy into a physical and permanent experience: from the new “service centre”, each citizen can admire his city from above. The existing city centre and its connection to the periphery are strengthened. The city council’s cornerstones are presence, transparency and visibility to all citizens. The project can be spotted from the Grand Place and engages a dialogue with the Church. The park facing the project, gets a new and powerful status in the urban landscape and symbolizes quality service to the citizens.

The integration of various public functions within a single “service centre” and the concentration of administrative services in this central location of Aarschot create a new heart for the network of public functions spread out over the city. This network is not only visible on a map, but can now be experienced at all time thanks to the visual connection between the service centre and the rest of the city.

The tension resulting from the volume of the program and the relatively limited space available on the ground level of the existing city hall, led to numerous studies on location and densification of the functions. The location of the entire front office as a new layer above the existing building came out as the key to the problem. A “sky lobby” is created, providing a large and flexible open-plan office space.

“The instinct to climb up to some high place, from which you can look down and survey your world, seems to be a fundamental human instinct. The tiniest hamlets have a dominating landmark - usually the church tower. Great cities have hundreds of them.” [Alexander, Christopher, ‘A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Constructions.’]

Moreau Social Housing Anderlecht, BE

site Moreaustraat 112-116, 1070 Anderlecht, BE

client Anderlechtse Haard, Bergensesteenweg 595, 1070 Anderlecht, BE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team T. Rigby, M. Steel Lebre, M. Van Rossen

structural eng. Ney & Partners nv

technical eng. SB Heedfeld nv

surface 1 674 m² gross

budget 2 300 000 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition 2009 | realisation 2012

status building permit application

SOCIAL PASSIVE APARTMENTS AND SOCIAL LOW-ENERGY DWELLINGS | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, 1ST PLACE

The morphology of the project is generated by a new definition of “fitting in the context” on different scale levels. The classical typology of the 19th century urban house (with a carriage-driveway to the stables in the courtyard) is applied on the scale of a housing complex.

By connecting the depths and heights of the two neighbouring houses, the apartment block in front emerges as a faceted polyhedron. An introverted volume in the back under an extrusion of the adjacent shed roofs organises three single family houses accessible through a green courtyard.

Façades elaborated in COR-TEN steel fit in the red-brown colour range of the brick houses in the neighbourhood. Well protected privacy is combined with a generous access of daylight and a high spatial quality; in this way social housing becomes a full grown part of the city fabric without any kind of stigmatisation. The project chooses deliberately to interact intensely with its context and uses present city qualities to create a material support for social integration and cohesion.

Kulturhuset Uppsala, SE

site Uppsala, SE

client Uppsala Kommun Kulturkontoret, Strandbodgatan 1, 75375 Uppsala, SE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS and H2 Projekt AB

team P. Stessens

timing study 2008

status study completed

FEASABILITY STUDY FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE OF UPPSALA, SWEDEN | DIRECT COMMISSION

The role of Uppsala in history, the fame of its university, the rich cultural background and the presence of the international airport are several indications of the potential of this town. Uppsala played once a pioneering scientific and cultural role in Sweden, and it is precisely this role that the town aspires again due to its candidacy for European Capital of Culture 2014.

To form a more coherent policy on arts and culture and to express an artistic ambition, there is a need for new facilities for contemporary art and culture. The feasibility study conducted by BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS and H2-Projekt AB underlines what needs of Uppsala in order to achieve the set goals.

Hoogbouwnota Ghent, BE

site Ghent, BE

client City of Ghent, Department of Urban Planning, Woodrow Wilsonplein 1, 9000 Ghent, BE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team L. Stellamans, P. Stessens

surface 15 600 ha

timing study 2009

status study completed

ADVISORY ON HIGH RISE | DIRECT COMMISSION

This study aims to display a balanced picture of the problems and possibilities of high-rise in Ghent. It is not an uncritical apology of towers. Although the first signs of an improved image arise, we wonder why did the towers built over the past decades gain a rather bad reputation. From this perspective we conclude that high-rise appears at the starting line with a series of historical, cultural and perceptual handicaps and with a high degree demand for professionals conceiving it. However, if used judiciously, it could be an economical solution to problems of land use, urban and landscaping structure, and urban densification.

For the making of an informed “advisory note high-rise”, it is necessary to thoroughly explore the underlying cultural, social, architectural and urbanistic layer. Further we should emphasize the importance of communication with the population, of showing good examples, of setting up proper selection procedures for designers and developers, etc. Our cities bear a key responsibility for the sustainable development of our environment. High-rise will be an increasingly important part of this task, which is only possible if there is sufficient political and public support.

The multiple objectives of this advisory note are the following:

1. creating a vision of high-rise buildings in Ghent within a detailed theoretical background;

2. creating an impetus for a wider political and public support for high-rise;

3. supplying elements for further research and feeding the debate and the awareness about high-rise

4. the delivery of quality criteria and assessment tools necessary for the licensing policy.

In the ‘analysis’ section we briefly examine the phenomenon of high-rise buildings in general, with definitions of high-rise, with references and high-rise advisory notes from other countries and cities, and with a theoretical framework on the perception of high-rise, the concepts of scale break and change of scale, the quality of high-rise and a taxonomy of different high-building types.

Then the Ghent context is examined, through a description of its high-rise history through the centuries until the modern times, through a photographic analysis of the Ghent skyline, through a setting of Ghent’s high-rise in international perspective, through an assessment on the relation high-rise – density of available urban green, through an analysis of the existing regulations in Ghent, through a suggestion of what ‘high-rise’ today and tomorrow in Ghent can mean, through some case studies of existing or planned high-rise, through a number of interviews with key witnesses, each of them in one way or another connected to Ghent, high-rise, architecture or urban planning.

In the ‘advice’ section assesses the volume of high-rise to be expected in Ghent in the coming decades, although part of them has already been planned, and the spatial and policy actors that may affect those projects. Subsequently, a number of areas where high rise is more likely or desirable have been identified. Finally, based on all these, Ghent is invited to make choices and to define a high-rise policy.

The elements that will allow the implementation of this high-rise policy are handed in the proposal for further research: the use of tools for the evaluation of quality, the creation of a pro-active policy frame promoting quality and the conduct of a communication and awareness policy.

Tall Emblem Dubai, U.A.E.

site Za’abeel Park, Dubai, AE

client city of Dubai, AE and ThyssenKrupp Elevator

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team K. Burssens, S. Liesenborghs, P. Stessens, C. Truwant

structural eng. Ney & Partners nv

surface 1 200 m² gross

timing competition 2009

status competition

PUBLIC PANORAMA POINT, DUBAI | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT

Within a tensegrity structure the minimal elements of the program are linked with various modes of vertical transport: elevators, escalators, cable cars, etc. A viewing tower accessible to the public becomes an emblematic icon for Dubai.

In Flanders Fields Ieper, BE

site Grote Markt 34, 8900 Ieper, BE

client City of Ieper, Grote Markt 34, 8900 Ieper, BE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team Z. Nelessen, J. Plak, P. Stessens

structural eng. Ney & Partners nv

technical eng. SB Heedfeld nv

surface 4 840 m² gross

timing competition design 2008

status competition

TRANSFORMATION OF THE LAKENHALLEN INTO A MUSEUM, DOCUMENTATION AND VISITOR'S CENTRE | OPEN CALL ORGANISED BY THE FLEMISH GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT, 2ND LAUREATE

The Cloth Hall of Ypres is an intensively used, congested space. The design aims to transform the building into an intense and poignant contemporary “In Flanders Fields” peace museum, that, along with a documentation center and a new visitor center, will create a tourist attraction pole with a strong presence in the city and the region.

The building is transformed into a flexible and adaptable space to accommodate a logical museum circuit that folds back into the central connector. Two minimal interventions make this happen: a transparent central connecting volume with minimal materiality and a white floor as a unifying layer. The white floor places the building into the 21st century in one gesture, opens up the complex in a readable manner and connects it with its surroundings, and creates a strong internal openness and harmonization. At the same time the proposal formulates a number of simple interventions that enhance the relationship and the interaction between the interior of the building and the surrounding urban space.

Kanaal - VERVOORDT r.e. Wijnegem, BE

site Stokerijstraat, 2110 Wijnegem, BE

client Idetex, Stokerijstraat 15, 2110 Wijnegem, BE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team T. Boogaerts, K. Burssens, M. Czvek, Z. Nelessen, T. Rigby, M. Steel Lebre, L. Stellamans, A. Sümeghy, C. Truwant, M. Van Rossen, M. Valério

structural eng. Studieburo Mouton bvba

technical eng. Botec nv

landscape architect Michel Desvigne sarl

architects other zones Coussée & Goris Architecten bvba and Stéphane Beel Architecten bvba

surface 20 958 m² gross

budget 15 673 387 euro excl. vat and fees

timing design 2008 | realisation 2011-2015

status under construction

CONVERSION OF A FORMER BREWERY AND MALTERY ALONG THE ALBERT CANAL NEAR ANTWERP INTO A MIXED USE PROJECT | DIRECT COMMISSION BY THE CLIENT

click here to see the project website of Vervoordt r.e.

click here to see the 3D model

click here to see the Flickr-photostream of Vervoordt r.e.

click here to see the interview

A very large cluster of partially empty but highly valuable industrial structures is transformed into a mixed use project of more than 40 000 m². Along a program of workshops, offices, underground car park and showrooms for Axel Vervoordt, the majority of the site is reallocated to housing. The project is designed by three offices: BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS, Stéphane Beel and Coussée & Goris. Michel Desvigne is responsible for the landscaping.

BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS are responsible for the construction of 11 000 m² of workshops and underground car park, 8000 m² of apartments, and for the conversion of 1000 m² of industrial space. The proposal is structured as a sequence of outdoor rooms - “rooms with a view”- articulated through a scenic plateau which connects to the canal. A new housing typology was developed by stacking individual duplexes in 3 dimensions. The morphologies of these duplexes result from the integration of qualities and constraints such as sunlight, privacy, view, the inclusion of winter gardens and the desire to provide each apartment with three facades. The project combines high density with a unique quality of life and individual character for each house.

VUB Guest House Brussels, BE

site Boulevard Général Jacques, VUB campus, Brussels, BE

client PPP Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Intersportif nv, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, BE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team T. Rigby, P. Stessens, A. Sümeghy, M. Van Rossen

structural eng. Ney & Partners nv

technical eng. SB Heedfeld nv

surface 8 000 m² gross

budget 10 000 000 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition design 2006 | realisation 2012

status building permit granted

STUDENT ROOMS, HOTEL AND OFFICES | OPEN COMPETITION FOR PPP ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, 1ST PLACE

Located on the sports campus of the Free University of Brussels, this building has a double function: academic residence for students, guest professors and top sportsmen and **** star design hotel for tourists and businessmen.

Inspired by the world of sports, the concept of the room is based on the celebration of the body: the traditional room with a separate bathroom is transformed into one cocoon space designed for protection, rest and wellness.

The Office Brussels, BE

site Quai au Foin 55, 1000 Brussel, BE

client BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team T. Boogaerts, K. Burssens, M. Czvek, A. Farkas, L. Grec, O. Herman, T. Holvoet, S. Liesenborghs, Z. Nelessen, J. Plak, T. Rigby, M. Steel Lebre, L. Stellamans, P. Stessens, S. Stessens, A. Sümeghy, V. Talamini, C. Truwant, M. Valério, T. Van Mechelen, M. Van Rossen

photography BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

surface 450 m² gross

timing design 2007 | realisation 2008-2009

status completed

MASTERPLAN AND MOOD CONCEPT FOR OUR HQ

Dealing with polarities takes a central position in the development of the corporate identity of BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS. The office interior is a conglomerate of old and new objects, of ordinary and royal elements, of corporate furniture and living room counterparts, high-end design, contemporary art and IKEA-components. Established values are combined with prototypes. The space is organised as an urban building block, with a boulevard that connects a series of functions: waiting room, concert room, meeting rooms, café, storage, restrooms, kitchen, server room, pool table, table tennis, lounge, model room, etc. The location, in the city centre of Brussels, and close to the De Morgen, the KVS, Argos and other cultural enterprises, fits the office’s profile and level of ambition very well.

Second Nature - Europan 7 Pärnu, EE

site Pärnu, EE

client City of Pärnu, EE

architect BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

team BLU-net [Oana Bogdan, Kelly Shannon, Laura Vescina, Ivan Llach, Raquel Colacios]

surface 21 ha

timing competition design 2003 | realisation 2005

status urbanism plan apprroved and applied

URBANISM DESIGN, LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND MASTERPLAN INCLUDING HOUSING, HOTEL AND FACILITIES | EUROPAN 7 COMPETITION, 1ST PLACE

SECOND NATURE is an urban and architectural strategy which spatially and culturally creates a new seaside landscape for Pärnu’s eastern extension. The development embraces the larger urban scale of Pärnu, simultaneously terminating the city-scale rhythm of recreational, leisure and health related facilities and spatially announcing the beginning of preserved area of natural flora and tidal wetlands.

Preserved nature and artificial nature are developed in parallel and are the means to structure and program the built and unbuilt environment of the semi-natural coast landscape. Organic geometries of the naturally evolved flora and water bodies of the preserved nature contrast with the Cartesian ordering of the artificial nature. Infrastructure and buildings lots follow the Cartesian ordering system, with he exception of the mixed-use 400m long building and the sinuous ramped beach promenade.

The predominant housing program is solved with cost-efficient housing typologies operating as ‘adaptable cocoons’ - cold weather protective, introvert units that in the warmer months expand. Façades on the favorable orientation are enlivened by changing depths and locations of inhabitable double glazing. The utilization of winter gardens not only allows for seasonal flexibility in apartment typology, but also affords passive solar energy benefits.

MAD-Faculty Genk, BE

site C-mine 5, 3600 Genk, BE

client Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg vzw, Univ. Campus, Agoralaan, 3590 Diepenbeek, BE

architect VBMarchitecten with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design] and BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS [execution]

team M. Steel Lebre, A. Sümeghy

structural eng. Grontmij Zaventem nv

technical eng. Grontmij Zaventem nv

photography Mikaël Falke, Thomas Mayer, Hennie Raaymakers, Vlaanderen vanuit de lucht, KHLim

surface 7 000 m² gross

budget 6 986 404 euro excl. vat and fees

timing design 2004 | realisation 2007-2009

status completed

MEDIA, ARTS & DESIGN SCHOOL ON THE SITE OF A FORMER COALMINE IN GENK | COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT TOGETHER WITH THE CITY, 1ST PLACE

AWARDS Nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2011 | Selected as Exemplary Educational Facility op het “4th Compendium of Exemplary Educational Facilities 2011” | BAB2010 - Architectural Bienale of Bucharest: Award in the category “Architecture for projects larger than 1000 m²” | Exhibition Flemisch School Architecture in Riga | IPB Challenge 2010 - Selected for Shortlist Educational Buildings | Presentation at the Steel Info Symposium 2010 | Participation in the Day of Architecture 2009

The Media, Arts & Design Faculty is part of “C-Mine”, a new educational and cultural cluster on a former coal mine. From day one the project took in account the programme and the specific qualities of its context: a limited budget, a new teaching concept, the obligation to build on an existing underground parking and the strong presence of the surrounding industrial heritage. Foremost it aims to stimulate creativity and innovation: the circulation areas become part of the didactic environment and create an open study-landscape, interactive space for meeting, study, social contact and exchange of ideas.

The façade, in perforated galvanized steel, not only refers to the molecular structure of coal, but simultaneously engages a dialogue with the historical elevator towers of the coal mine. Notwithstanding a rough industrial materiality, the building is not hard: the translucent façade almost has the subtle and soft appearance of lace. Apart from that it acts as a solar screen and a privacy buffer. Only the windows of the study-landscape are not covered by the steel skin, so that the spatially binding element of the project is being expressed in the façade.

Inside the building the industrial architectural language is visible as well. The concrete structure and all the electrical, mechanical and technical equipment remain apparent. This “human based low tech” allows a flexible adaptability of the infrastructure and programmatic layout of the school. Only light transparent structures in polycarbonate or nets act as space dividers that have a minimal presence and provide spatial continuity. This way the design of the building expresses the mission statement of the school and becomes a genuine creative “teaching and learning factory”.

More info on the website of C-mine.

Also check the photos on the websites of the photographers:

© Thomas Mayer

© Mikaël Falke

© Hennie Raaymakers

Tennislaan Housing Genk, BE

site Eendenpoel 1, 3600 Genk, BE

client Jacobs-Van Broel nv, Halveweg 12, 3520 Zonhoven, BE

architect VBMarchitecten with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design] and LAVA Architecten [execution]

team M. Steel Lebre

structural eng. AB associates bvba

technical eng. AB associates bvba

photography Ivan Put & BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

surface 7 650 m² gross

budget 6 242 040 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition design 2004 | realisation 2006-2011

status completed

48 APARTMENTS IN THE WOODS WITH MINIMAL FOOTPRINT IN GENK | OPEN COMPETITION, 1ST PLACE

The project creates large number of housing units with minimum footprints. The plan minimizes the impact of parking and traffic in the open space. An atmosphere of living in the woods has been created. There is an optimum contact between housing and nature. The position of the blocks is refined in function of acoustics, views and privacy; blocks on columns respect the ecological continuity of the woods; nature is used as acoustic buffer. Apartments were conceived as tree huts and included a combination of loggias and terraces, plans are flexible in order to better adapt to changed living patterns in the future.

Dumont Social Housing Genk, BE

site Dumontlaan, 3600 Genk, BE

client SHM Nieuw Dak, Grotestraat 65, 3600 Genk, BE

architect VBMarchitecten with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design] and lava Architecten [execution]

team M. Steel Lebre

structural eng. Grontmij nv

technical eng. Grontmij nv

photography VBMarchitecten

surface 3 085 m² gross

budget 3 781 307 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition design 2004 | realisation 2008-2010

status completed

32 SOCIAL APARTMENTS AND OCMW SOCIAL SERVICES CENTRE IN GENK | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, 1ST PLACE

The qualities of the site (views and green) and the disturbing factors (noise of regional road) are bundled together into the concept for a clear story. The project aims at densification (high number of dwellings with minimal footprint), at the reduction of the open space consumption, the interconnectedness (optimum contact between the living and natural without mutual damage), etc. The housing blocks are positioned and further developed with attention for visual relationships, privacy and accuracy in framing the views. Residential volumes on columns respect the ecological continuity of the landscape. A modified typology of apartments takes advantage of the orientation: double-oriented apartments with optimal views and correct light transmittance are equipped with south-oriented loggias. The partly sunken parking with a ‘raised’ street above is, given the high level of the ground water level, an alternative to an expensive underground parking.

The project focuses on quality of life while confining to the budget of a social housing project.

Outgaarden & Hoegaarden schools Hoegaarden

site Burgstraat 20, 3321 Outgaarden, BE and Doelstraat 76, 3320 Hoegaarden, BE

client Town of Hoegaarden, Gemeenteplein 1, 3320 Hoegaarden, BE

architect VBMarchitecten with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design and execution]

structural eng. BSTK ingenieursbureau bvba

technical eng. BSTK ingenieursbureau bvba

photography Toon Grobet, VBMarchitecten

surface 240 m² and 880 m² gross

budget 374 985 euro and 1 300 560 euro excl. vat and fees

timing design 2003 | realisation 2005-2007

status completed

POLYVALENT SPACE NURSERY SCHOOL OUTGAARDEN AND REFURBISHMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL OUTGAARDEN | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, 1ST PLACE

The site of the existing kindergarten in Outgaarden was highly fragmented and the available surface was theoretically too small for a playground and a new building. In order to avoid adding another volume to the main buildings, the expansion is conceived not as a building but rather as a space created by making a “fold” in the terrain. Between the overlap of the two layers arises naturally a covered area, a rectangle that stretches between a “soft”, green area and a hardened part. The new space has various functions: the green sloped roof becomes playground, the roof becomes a canopy that covers the paved outdoor area and serves at the same time as sun-shading. The interaction with the environment is sought in various ways: sectional transparent garage gates allow the room to open completely to the mineral playground. Where the rectangular figure hits the street facade, additional perforations are made in the typical old school wall. This new part can function completely autonomously outside school hours as a meeting room, party room, training, after school care, creative space, etc. It also meets the current standards of hygiene and full accessibility.

Historically, the building of the municipal school of Hoegaarden had two parts. These were artificially linked, but did not function as a whole because the structure and the bay measurement were not foreseen as such. In plan there were six bays, the middle four were too narrow and that the two existing stairs had a kind of spatial duplication without value. This leads to the core of our operation.

The former separation barrier in the middle of the building has removed. This results in three bays, sufficiently wide and very useful in terms of proportions, and two “technical” bays for a good vertical circulation, storage, techniques, sanitary equipment, etc. This intervention has made possible the rear extension with two top floors, so that the demanded total surface could be met within the footprint of the historic building. Where possible, the basement was used in order to maximize the available budget and the return on investment. Furthermore an entrance hall, a uniform and recognizable pattern of circulation and a large entry of daylight were foreseen. Additionally, all outdoor areas were refurbished, three playgrounds and a new courtyard that connects to a kiss and ride zone.

Centrale Werkplaatsen Leuven, BE

site Diestsesteenweg, 3010 Leuven, BE

client PPS Matexi Projects nv, Franklin Rooseveltlaan 180, 8790 Waregem, BE

architect VBMarchitects with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design phase1] and BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS [execution phase 1; design and execution phase 2]

team M. Czvek, A. Sümeghy, M. Steel Lebre, P. Stessens, S. Stessens

structural eng. BSTK ingenieursbureau bvba

technical eng. BSTK ingenieursbureau bvba

photography BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

surface 11 174 m² gross

budget 10 447 441 euro excl. btw en erelonen

timing competition 2003-2004 | construction 2006-2012

status final phase under construction

BLOCK B & E (69 ECOLOGICAL DWELLINGS, COMMERCIAL SPACES AND UNDERGROUND PARKINGS) & BLOCK C & D (65 ECOLOGICAL DWELLINGS AND UNDERGROUND PARKINGS) ON THE FORMER RAILWAY WORKSHOP'S SITE IN LEUVEN | OPEN COMPETITION FOR PPP ORGANISED BY THE CITY OF LEUVEN, 1ST PLACE

Since the disappearance of the activity on the Central Railway Workshops this part of Kessel-Lo was a walled blind spot, an abandoned rest area. The redevelopment of this site has the ambition to create a new center for Kessel-Lo, but this should not mean the tabula rasa of the history of this place. Therefore we have been deliberately chosen to start from the morphological features of the site and the historic workshops while conceiving the masterplan.

The former industrial site of the Central Workshops is, unlike the sloped surroundings, an artificial horizontal plateau rotated around a central east-west axis. The socle that had been generated on the side of Diestsesteenweg and Smidsestraat has been redefined and used as an element that structures the public space. By insisting on the definition of internal and external edges, and by introducing a controlled permeability to the surroundings, residential areas are created with their own scale and identity. Very different parameters have been taken into account: environmental factors, the future presence of public functions, the demand for commercial space, underground parking and an increased density of housing on the site (60 dwellings per hectare). By using all these constraints as a generator for the various housing types, a whole has been created, very different typologically from the surrounding tissue, and radiating simultaneously a major organizational and spatial evidence. In other words the space can be read in a logical way, but it is not obvious: organized complexity and individuality made the emergence of a new neighborhood as possible.

By conceiving the new volumes as a reinterpretation of the historic industrial buildings, we have obtained a morphology with similar qualities. On the three residential streets, the typology of the classic urban block has been turned inside out: the gardens - which are normally situated in the inner area – have been placed outside the block, while the street has been situated in the inner area of the urban block. As a consequence, the houses are oriented with their unique individual and fragmented facades (typical for the back side of a traditional Belgian house) towards the street, while the facades oriented towards the gardens are tightly aligned in one plane. Along the street, the high diversity of housing types is visible and the occupants can easily identify their own home. Along the main road, the 180m long northern block has been fragmented by recoiling parts which are an echo of the residential streets lying behind.

De Mouterij Leuven, BE

site Brouwersstraat 7, 3000 Leuven, BE

client Ertzberg cvba, Goudsbloemstraat 2, 3000 Leuven, BE

architect VBMarchitects with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design] and BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS [execution]

team K. Burssens, M. Steel Lebre, L. Stellamans

structural eng. Arcade nv

technical eng. Arcade nv

photography Toon Grobet, BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS

surface 3 995 m² gross

budget 3 510 000 euro excl. vat and fees

timing design 2003 | realisation 2007-2010

status completed

CONVERSION OF A FORMER BREWERY IN THE CITY CENTRE OF LEUVEN INTO FIVE ROW HOUSES, SIX LOFTS AND SIX PATION VILLAS | DIRECT COMMISSION

AWARDS Nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2011 | BAB2010 - Architectural Bienale of Bucharest: Medal of the President of the Union of Architects of Romania

The site, a former brewery-maltery, is located deep inside an urban block close to the city center of Leuven. It is divided into three zones: the former stables (transformed into row houses), the malt house (transformed into lofts) and an empty piece of land in the back, receiving six new patio villas near the river Dijle.

This site could only be developped and densified thanks to tailor made typological diversification based on research by design. The challenge was to do this while maintaining the historical looks of the industrial heritage and avoiding many of the possible privacy conflicts in the core of the city block.

The row houses in the former stables are adjacent to to neighbouring parcels and therefore only receive natural light from one side, which leads to develop them in a specific typology.

The maltery had floor heights of only 1,80m. In order to keep the historic layers of this building readable, old windows have been filled in with different brickwork and new windows - corresponding to the new floor heights – have been cut out. This way the facades become a palimpsest, expressing the sequence of historical layers of the building. The windows are recessed into the façade to avoid oblique privacy conflicts.

The former brownfield in the the back is squeezed in between small row houses and back-yards in the west, the river Dijle along the medieval city wall in the east and the high maltery building in the north. The two resulting patio-villa typologies are the outcome of a complex equation, set out to adapt to the surrounding conditions and to combine privacy, daylight penetration, density and accessibility.

The design process focused on reading the surrounding conditions as if they were a complex DNA code; the solution has been found through an appropriate rephrasing of the question. Architectural micro-surgery has been used to inject new life into the remains of the local brewing industry and to transform this poluted brownfield into a high quality housing environment.

De Bloesem School Sint-Truiden, BE

site Halmaalweg, 3800 Sint-Truiden, BE

client Gemeenschapsonderwijs, Emile Jacqmainlaan 20, 1000 Brussels, BE

architect VBMarchitects with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design and execution]

structural eng. BSTK Ingenieursbureau bvba

technical eng. BSTK Ingenieursbureau bvba

photography VBMarchitects

surface 848 m² gross

budget 844 983 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition design 2008 | realisation 2005-2006

status completed

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW WING OF PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN SINT-TRUIDEN | OPEN CALL ORGANISED BY THE FLEMISH GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT | 1ST LAUREATE

The initial design question (building of several new classes for autistic children) has been rephrased in order to make a completely new, flexible and phased expansion, connecting rationally with the existing buildings, but also bringing the school in a more intense way in contact with the existing park landscape.

The T-shape of the existing buildings have generated the new lay-out: a flat facade parallel to the street with a perpendicular wing in the north direction. If one repeats this figure, the result is a comb structure with a long “spine” on the side of the street and with arms in the green. The park is thus a continuous figure which enters the playgrounds between the buildings through “green fingers”. Although the current program is much more limited, it seemed appropriate to design a masterplan that does not compromise the growth opportunities in later stages and handles the site, the orientation and the existing trees in a sustainable manner.

The design of the building is based on a flexible system in which both repetitive prefabrication and conventional construction methods can be used. The outer walls are constructed as a small but thick insulated timber skeleton that guarantees a perfect future adaptability. The bearing walls are solid and provide the necessary thermal capacity needed to keep the building cool in the summer. The facades are constructed from an alternating pattern of rectangles in glass and wood. The building is only two storeys high; by using half storey high rectangles high four rows of rectangular surfaces of about 1.90 m high have been created. Small offsets into the rhythm of the windows ensure the identification of each building fragment and avoid monotonous rhythmic patterns that are disturbing autistic children.

Total MakeOver House B Rotselaar, BE

site Zonnedauwstraat 6, 3110 Rotselaar, BE

client Mr. & Mrs. Bergé-Danckaerts

architect VBMarchitecten with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design and execution]

structural eng. Util cvba

photography Toon Grobet

surface 295 m² gross

budget 216 616 euro excl. vat and fees

timing design 2003 | realisation 2006-2007

status completed

TRANSFORMATION OF A HOUSE INTO A HOME FOR A FAMILY WITH FOUR CHILDREN | DIRECT COMMISSION

The starting point was a problematic and far too small house with a totally incorrect layout. The street was at the top of the slope but the entrance was at the downhill side, adjacent to the bathroom. Upstairs the four children slept in one large room under the roof. The plan did not take into account the morphology of the terrain nor the possible views of the surrounding forest, nor sunlight or orientation.

The project entirely reverses the scheme of the house. The new night zone is located on the ground floor and the day zone is located on the top floor where the new entrance is directly connected to the street level with a bridge. The floor plan ,which consisted of two overlapping squares, is extended to the shape of a large square. This creates enough space for both a broad day area plus a master bedroom on the top floor and four bedrooms of the children, a study room and storage on the ground level. Basically this transformation combines a sufficiently large extension, a clever reuse of the existing building, which is invisible behind the new wooden façade; and a correct positioning of the different windows and views towards the forest and the sun. At the same time the whole house gets a new technical equipment and additional insulation. In this way a very introverted house is transformed into an energy efficient home, respecting the privacy of living, yet having a very intense relationship with the surrounding landscape.

Administrative Center Bonheiden, BE

site Waversesteenweg 36, 2820 Bonheiden, BE

client Mayor and Aldermen, Waversesteenweg 13, 2820 Bonheiden, BE

architect VBMarchitecten with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design and execution]

structural eng. STABO bcvba

technical eng. STABO bcvba

photography Toon Grobet

surface 3 008 m² gross

budget 3 333 679 euro excl. vat and fees

timing design 2001 | realisation 2004-2006

status completed

ADMINISTRATIVE CENTRE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF BONHEIDEN | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, 1ST PLACE

AWARDS The Benelux Trophy for Galvanisation 2007, 3rd price

This ecological town hall expresses open management, low threshold and high accessibility with a communicative attitude towards the citizens. Outside and inside rules a well controlled transparency, not only between the visitors and the ‘political powers’ but also amongst the personnel itself. Moreover, without any muscular boasting, the building adds social control and a homely feeling of safety to its surroundings.

The two buildings - administrative center and library - are organised around a central square next to the existing cultural center. Modular open-plan offices on concrete floor slabs, without beams or false ceilings, maximize flexibility and allow free positioning of partition walls. All technical equipment is recessed in access floors. The same type of construction will be used for the library. Pluvial water from the roof is stored in concrete tanks in the basement, from where it is recycled for toilet flushing, fire-fighting water and as a source of cooling in the summer.

Grauwzusters Rectorate U.A. Antwerp, BE

site Lange Sint-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerp, BE

client University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 10, 2000 Antwerp, BE and Ministry of the Flemish Government Department Buildings

architect VBMarchitecten with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design and execution]

structural eng. STABO bcvba

technical eng. STABO bcvba

heritage consultant Robin Engels

art integration Guy Van Bossche

photography Toon Grobet

surface 6 989 m² gross

budget 5 253 351 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition design 2001 | realisation 2005-2007

status completed

TRANSFORMATION OF THE CONVENT OF GRAUWZUSTERS IN MULTI-PURPOSE OFFICE IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ANTWERP | OPEN CALL ORGANISED BY THE FLEMISH GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT, 1ST LAUREATE

A neo-Gothic monastery in the historic urban fabric of Antwerp had to be transformed into a multifunctional centre for the headquarters of the Antwerp University. The monastery gave the impression to be ready for reuse. It was an introverted neo-Gothic building, designed for contemplation and humble social services and presented itself to the outside with a long, homogeneous façade that manages to be “almost absent” in the street view. Inside the neo-Gothic vocabulary stresses, culminating with the chapel, the religious basis. How to transform this building into a mixed introvert - extrovert function? The answer to that question is MULTIPLE CHOICE: not choosing, but optimizing and maximizing the simultaneous activities that can take place in the building. The introverted nature of the convent is been preserved, but the rigorous interior is made richer and interactive.

The chapel is restored into a space with perfect acoustics for concerts or other performances. Therefore its spatial appearance, essentially focused on celebration, remains “intact”, with the nuance that the exclusive confessional framework of this celebration is transcended. By opening a foyer towards street, the chapel is connected both to the central circulation around the atrium and to the new access to the street. The multi-purpose buffer space created this way can be used as a walk-in, walk-out space or, if desired, even as a separate entrance, which could occasionally take the classic function of church entrance portal. In this way, within its representative, religious and cultural functions, the chapel could function both for internal activities as completely separate. The view in the chapel from the street has saved it from its spatial isolation. At the same time its stigmatizing effect on the rest of the building has been transformed into a more universal frame of reference. Behind the choir of the chapel on the ground a room has been foreseen as changing room, storage and room for artists.

The central courtyard was excavated to make room for a new underground auditorium with optimum acoustics focused on speech, with good projection equipment, sound system, blinds, cloakrooms etc. For both structural and acoustic reasons a “box in box” system been chosen. The auditorium is structurally disconnected from the existing foundation, therefore not allowing the transmission of noise. The sloping floor ensures a good visibility of the speaker and the projection screen. A glazed strip around the ceiling allows the peripheral entry of daylight and intensifies the relationship between the basement and ground floor.

Already from the first visit of the site it was clear that the vaulted cellars have an amazing potential. They are suited for multi-use and provide a sufficiently large, strong and sober background for various activities.

The vaulted corridors on the ground floor become a fascinating circulation space where the authentic monastic austerity is visible. They are organized around the typical courtyard, which, covered with glass, is transformed into an inner space that serves as central circulation node and representative centre of the entire building.

The existing garden showed a number of preconditions regarding the future (uncertain) or outside the control of the client (back sides of neighbouring buildings, access roads, etc.). In order to make possible future changes a filter is designed between the new garden and its surroundings. On the side of the right neighbour a green hedge along the garden wall is provided. On the car park side a high screen of stretched metal is placed, but keeping its lower part open. There are wide parking places and a bike storage foreseen. For the garden design has been chosen for a palimpsest, a superimposition of different meanings, layers, patterns and functions. As a base layer, an “organic carpet” is foreseen, a pattern of concentric wavy lines in which different plants and textures are applied. Then, a pattern made of paths that simply foresee all desired connections. This way the concept of the garden and its use fall naturally together. These paths are in few places widened to accommodate different functions: a table for outdoor dining, pedestals for statues, benches, etc. On top of everything comes a simple 3 x 4 grid of trees. By inserting this recognizable image, that of the monastery orchard, the garden is integrated to a spatial and historical unity. The trees provide shade and shelter, they form a green layer that makes the garden present or people working on the upper floors.

RITS Film & Theatre School Brussels, BE

site A. Dansaertstraat 70 and Moutstraat 15 1000 Brussels, BE

client Erasmushogeschool Brussels, Nijverheidskaai 170 1070 Brussels, BE

architect VBMarchitects with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design] and BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS [execution]

structural eng. STABO bcvba

technical eng. STABO bcvba

photography Memymom

surface 6 322 m² gross

budget 4 120 000 euro excl. vat and fees

timing competition design 2001 | realisation 2005-2009

status completed

CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION RITS, BRUSSELS | OPEN CALL, ORGANISED BY THE ERASMUSHOGESCHOOL BRUSSELS AND THE FLEMISH GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT, 1ST LAUREATE

AWARDS Edubuild Arch School Award 2011 - special award for the client

A culturally driven user with healthy ambitions, but in a ramshackle housing. The original cluster of buildings of the RITS (a department of the Erasmus University College of Brussels) had an almost labyrinthine morphology. Over time the structure was transformed into an amalgam with very little spatial or functional consistency. Although the program of the school is closely connected to arts and visual appearance, it even lacked the sympathetic and artistic atmosphere of an impoverished painting studio

The need for a legible circulation pattern led to a fundamental rearrangement: a central entrance with in its axis a connector which provides a clear connection to all departments and simultaneously - in the basement and on the ground floor - acts as a walkway right through the block. The new underground zone now receives a lot of daylight and has ample views toward two new gardens in the core of the city-block. This allowed to activate a large part of the derelict basement and use it for ancillary functions. Furthermore, the complex was extended with two new class wings, a new underground cinema and recording studios for sound and film.

Everywhere in the transformed complex the activities of RITS are made a lot more visible. This not only leads to a better working environment for teachers and students but also gives the entire building a creative and artistic atmosphere which is consistent with its cultural and educational mission. At the entrance a new public café and exhibition area allows the school to organize public film performances and show its cultural mission and dynamics to the city of Brussels.

De Hallen Rectorate K.U.L. Leuven, BE

site Naamsestraat 22, 3000 Leuven, BE

client K.U.Leuven Technical Departement, Willem de Croylaan 56, 3001 Heverlee, BE

architect VBMarchitects with Leo Van Broeck as founding partner [design and execution]

team M. Steel Lebre, A. Sümeghy

structural eng. Ir. Hans De Petter

technical eng. BSTK bvba

photography Toon Grobet and Marin Kasimir

surface 850 m² gross

budget 1 850 000 euro excl. vat and fees

timing design 2000-2004 | realisation 2006-2007

status completed

EXTENSION OF A LISTED BUILDING IN THE HISTORICAL CITY CENTRE | DIRECT COMMISSION BY THE CLIENT

AWARDS Provincial architecture price 2008, Province Vlaams Brabant

At the historic center of the University of Louvain lays the medieval Linen hall and it’s 18th century addition the Rega wing. The structure houses the University’s main reception spaces, ceremonial assembly room and the Rector’s offices, located on the top floor. The University’s programmatic use of the building has increased over time. With this increase the lack of vertical circulation, storage space and emergency circulation became an issue that needed to be contended with. The main thrust behind the design was to manage and integrate the transformation of a monumental structure, composed of fragments and layers dating from the 13th till first half of 20th century, into a unified space while enlarging its programmatic capacities. The project started as a complex open heart surgery within the urban center of Louvain. The historic importance of the building as a landmark, along with additional urban complexities made the use of transparency and simple geometry the most relevant choices. The panoramic elevator integrated with the required fire stairs provided a strong urban solution, as well as making the building wheelchair accessible. The design uses spatiality, monumental scale and the historic ornament of the existing building to complement the functionality of the new built space. The new space includes a large vestibule with a ‘promenade architecturale’ along the former outside walls of the historic linen hall. The location and height of the new vertical circulation culminates in a panoramic view of the city and its surroundings.

Beco Belgium nv

info consulting engineers sustainability, based in Antwerp

e-mail info@beco.be 

website www.beco.be

BECO Group is an international consulting engineering office pursuing sustainability as a source of ecological AND economical benefit. Eco-efficiency, low energy consumption in the industrial sector, sustainable product and building innovation are the main tools used to create synergy between human being, nature and profit. BECO engineers is working as ecological consultant for our projects.

collaboration

v319CWK-Supervising engineers sustainability for Centrale Werkplaatsen Leuven.

Bram Boo

info designer Bram Boo is Bram Van Den Boogaart,

born 1971 in Brussels, lives and works in Sint-Truiden

e-mail bramboo@skynet.be 

website www.bramboo.be

awards Designer of the Year 2010 at the Kortrijk Interieur '10 Bienale!

We have been working with Bram Boo since the creation of our office in Brussels. While waiting for the office furniture that we had ordered, our office became a showroom for Bram Boo prototypes; during a few months we used them as regular desks and office equipment. The designs were instigators for creativity and that in a non-museum office context. As we were very happy of both the aesthetic and functional value, we started to collaborate with Bram Boo for competitions. 

collaboration

0001BVB-Use of Bram Boo design prototypes in BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS office, 2008.

0011BKS-Competition design Bronks Youth Theatre Brussels, 2008.

CEE Engineering

info energy management company, based in Heverlee

e-mail info@cee-engineering.com

website www.cee-engineering.com

CEE is an energy management company. They design and implement creative, tangible solutions for their clients realizing energy savings with feasible payback periods. CEE's mission is to realize measurable energy savings four their clients without impacting their required product and comfort quality levels.

collaboration

several competitions

Curdin Tones

info artist born 1976 in Winterthur,

lives and works in Amsterdam and Tschlin

e-mail curdintones@planet.nl 

website www.curdintones.com 

An art intervention is often only an addition to a finished building. The analytical and sharp approach in the work of Curdin Tones was an incentive for us to experiment with the use and importance of art interventions preceding the building phase and to look into how this could influence the design process from the very beginning. 

collaboration

0003KAN- “Private Space Public View Public Space Private View” photo collage 210 x 110m with project site Kanaalhuizen as project instigator, 2008.

G30 Association of Architects

Given the evolution of the profession of architect in Belgium and the economic and legal environment in which it is practised, a few architect companies have decided to set up a new association: the G30.

The goal of the association is to bring together and represent recognised architects’ offices in Belgium in order to promote and improve their profession both at home as well as throughout Europe.The association may take any initiative, in the interests of its members and the profession of architect in general, in order to improve the conditions in which the profession is practised as well as the legal framework thereof.

The association may also develop activities that make a direct or indirect contribution to achieving the above-mentioned, non-profit-making goal. This also involves extra, legally permitted, lucrative activities, the revenues from which are used entirely to achieving this non-profit-making goal. The G30 actively supports the implementation of measures – via any authority or body and in all complementary economic, legal, financial, social and fiscal domains for instance – that they deem to be useful for its members and for the profession of architect.

BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS joined the G30 in June 2011.

More info on the website of G30 - Association of Architects.

Hennie Raaymakers

info professional photographer based in, the Netherlands

email info@fotografieraaymakers.nl

website www.fotografieraaymakers.nl

Hennie Raaymakers is een vakfotograaf die beschikt over een gedurfde creatieve geest. Niets wordt aan het toeval overgelaten, zodanig dat het eindresultaat de verwachtingen van een opdrachtgever regelmatig overtreft. Daarvoor maakt hij gebruik van hoogwaardige, geavanceerde apparatuur en een eigen studio waar ruimte is voor het fotograferen van een kievitsei tot landrover.

collaboration

v421KHL-Photography for KHLim Media & Design Academie Genk, 2010.

Media & Design Academy KHLim Genk

Ibi Village

info association for Agroforestry, based in Kinshasa

e-mail ibi@ibi-village.cd 

website www.ibi-village.cd 

Intrigued by the ecological concept of agriculture and forestry combined with long time storage of carbon-dioxide in plantations on the high plains of the Bateke plateau in the west of Congo, we are starting up a collaboration with Ibi Village. Our task comprises advice on urban design, sustainable building, waste-water management, the use of local building techniques and the implementation of renewable energy sources based on solar energy.

Indianen

info graphic design studio Indianen is Wout Bosschaert, Steven Holsbeeks and Tim Knapen, born 1980 in Antwerp, 1985 in Antwerp and 1982 in Leuven, live and work in Antwerp

e-mail info@wereldderindianen.be 

website www.wereldderindianen.be 

The creative web-design office Indianen was asked to design and develop our website. They started from our basic ideas and requirements, respected them but also brought them to a higher standard of graphical design and communication. Afterwards they took care of the graphical corporate identity of our office.

collaboration BOGDAN & VAN BROECK website design.

Lise El Sayed

info designer born 1980 in France,

lives and works in Brussels

e-mail liseelsayed@yahoo.fr 

website www.liseelsayed.com 

The artist Lise El Sayed designed 20 tapis-chaises for our meeting table; the art-project consists of recycled wooden chairs with seats covered with cut-outs from a vintage oriental carpet. In her work she integrates interior design elements with artistic and philosophical links to travel, tissue, positive-negative cut-outs, reproduction and recycling. 

collaboration

0001BVB-Tapis Chaises installation in BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS office, 2009.

Marin Kasimir

info artist born 1957 in München,

lives and works in Brussels

e-mail marinkasimir@skynet.be 

website www.de-expeditie.com 

We have invited the artist and photographer Marin Kasimir to capture the essence of our intervention in K.U.Leuven University Hall. He works with panoramic pictures that cover 360° or more using a rotating digital camera and digital post processing. The way Marin Kasimir has chosen to represent our project shows that - in order to reveal complex spatial qualities - one sometimes draws more informations from a deformed representation of architecture than from a realistic one. This first test became the start of a long term collaboration. 

collaboration

v006HAL-Photography realisation K.U.Leuven University Hall, 2008.

Memymom

info memymom = me (Lisa) my mom (Marilène), live and work in Brussels

e-mail info@memymom.com

website www.memymom.com

Memymom represents our project RITS Film & Theater School Brussels via photo montages referring to Alfred Hitchcock's movie "Rear Window": photographer L.B. Jeffries is confined to his small apartment with a broken leg and spends his time looking out of the rear window observing his neighbors. As he begins to suspect one of his neighbors across the courtyard to have murdered his wife, he enlists the help of his high society fashion-consultant girlfriend Lisa and his visiting nurse Stella to investigate.

The story of Rear Window (1954) is dealing with voyeurism in a building complex that is in a way similar to RITS, as one of the main architectural concerns for this project was to see and to be seen. On the one hand there is the privacy of the neighbors of RITS confronted with the very dense cluster of school buildings and inner courtyards. On the other hand there are the visibility of the creative production and the participation of this art school in Dansaertstraat, a trendy and busy street of the European capital.

As it is also true for our collaboration with Marin Kasimir, the way Memymom has represented our project shows that - in order to reveal complex spatial qualities - one sometimes draws more information from an altered representation of architecture than from a realistic one.

collaboration

v108RTS-Photography and montage RITS Film & Theater School Brussels, 2009.

Mikael Falke

info photographer born 1978 in Brussels,

lives and works in Brussels

e-mail info@mikaelfalke.com 

website www.mikaelfalke.com 

The pictures of Mikael Falke are combining artistic and architectural values. The goal of the collaboration is a collection of images suitable for both architectural reviews and artistic expositions. 

collaboration

v421KHL-Photography construction phase KHLim Media & Design Academy, Genk, 2008-2009.

more photos here

Ney + Partners nv

info structural engineering company, based in Brussels

e-mail ney@ney.be 

website www.ney.be 

Ney and Partners is a structural engineering office established in Brussels. They work with an integrated view on engineering that is activated as early as possible in the design process. Our collaboration aims at a full integration of architecture, structure and context. 

collaboration

0017TES-Structural engineering for Tall Emblem Structure for Dubai.

0002VUB-Structural engineering for University sports hotel VUB Brussels.

Olmo Peeters

info photographer and architect born 1986 in Leuven,

lives and works in Brussels

e-mail olmo.peeters@gmail.com

Olmo Peeters is qualified both as architect and photographer. His photographic view on projects works as a sharp report of the building process and the resulting architecture. 

collaboration

v319CWK-Photography construction phase Centrale Werkplaatsen Leuven, 2008-2009.

Robin Engels

info historian and engineer, based in Brussels

e-mail robin.engels@origin.eu 

Historian and engineer-architect Robin Engels works as a consultant in our heritage-related projects. His approach helps us to tune contemporary architectural interventions in a fragile historical context.  

collaboration

0010IFF-Consulting historian and engineer for In Flanders Field Museum.

v112GRA-Consulting historian and engineer for Rectorate University Antwerp.

SB Heedfeld nv

info technical engineering company, based in Riemst

e-mail info@sbheedfeld.be

SB Heedfeld is a no-nonsense technical engineering office that offers a wide range of services of outstanding quality. Our common integrated project approach assures that the collaboration starts at the beginning of a project and aims for a perfect synergy between architecture, ecology and low energy consumption. 

collaboration

0002VUB-Structural engineering for University sports hotel VUB Brussels.

Speedism

info artist/architect duo Speedism is Julian Friedauer and Pieterjan Ginckels,

born 1980 in Friedrichshall DE and born 1982 in Tienen,

live and work in Stuttgart and Brussels

e-mail bonjour@speedism.net 

website www.speedism.net 

Speedism works at the borders of fields as architecture, architectural theory, visual arts, visual theory, urban tactics, imagineering and scriptwriting. As visual artists and architects, and starting from these backgrounds, Speedism develops visual universes, theoretical landscapes, denkräume, narratives and scenarios. Speedism uses different forms of input, ranging from Wikipedia, mythology, urban theory, geopolitical analysis, technical restrictions, music, and so on, in a random and non-hierarchical order. 

collaboration

0016DOK-Idea competition design Concrete factory Oude dokken Gent

Thomas Mayer

info professional photographer, based in Neuss , Germany.

email info@thomas-mayer-photo.de

website www.thomas-mayer-photo.de

archive http://thomasmayerarchive.de

Freelance in Germany since 1969, photographer for documentary on location in editorial and corporate work, architecture, landscape, people, industrial.

Worked for major magazines like GEO, stern, Spiegel, merian, ZEIT-Magazin, Lufthansa Bordbuch.

Corporate work for advertising agencies and companies like ERCO- lighting, Volkswagen, BMW, Duales System Deutschalnd, planmoebel, Werhahn.

Established 1986 together with Henning Christoph the stock-agency 'Das Fotoarchiv' in Essen.

collaboration

 v421KHL-Photography for KHLim Media & Design Academy, Genk, 2010.

Media & Design Academy KHLim Genk

Ti+Hann

info fashion designer duo Ti+Hann is Ticuta Racovita and Hanne De Wyngaert, born 1982 in Tecuci and 1983 in Hasselt, live and work in Antwerp

e-mail hello@tiplushann.com 

website www.tiplushann.com 

photography Olmo Peeters, Vincent Tillieux

24th of September 2008 we hosted Ti+Hann spring summer fashion collection 2009. This collection “Nice to meet you too” was presented by 12 models walking up and down the office tables of our office. The event was the result of a spontaneous last-minute collaboration between Ti+Hann, FLAG Models, Nononoise live (music), Juliette et ses baguettes (music), Lene Leroy (make up), JuJu (hair artist), Vidisquare (AV solutions and video rental), Sellino's (catering) and many more. It was an evening with fashion, video, nice food and wine, music, dance and a very varied audience.  

collaboration

0001BVB-“Nice to meet you too” presentation spring/summer 2009 collection in BOGDAN & VAN BROECK ARCHITECTS office, 2008.

Toon Grobet

info photographer, lives and works in Antwerp

e-mail info@toongrobet.be 

website www.toongrobet.be  

Photographer Toon Grobet offers a wide range of services of outstanding technical quality; his work focuses mainly on photographic imaging related to architecture and design. In his pictures he does not only make a concise documentary report of a project but also reveals specific spatial qualities and light conditions. 

collaboration

v303BER-Photography realisation Total Make Over House B, 2009.

v006HAL-Photography realisation K.U.Leuven Rectorate, 2008.

v112GRA-Photography realisation Rectorate University Antwerp, 2007.

Util Struktuurstudies

info structural engineering company, based in Brussels

e-mail info@util.be 

website www.util.be  

Util Struktuurstudies is a structural engineering company, based in Brussels.

Filip Van de Voorde, Frans Leenaerts and Rolf Vansteenwegen try to deal with the structural building components in a creative and professional way, in order to maximize the contribution to an integrated architectural approach.

collaboration

Total Make Over House B.